Weft creel for looms



Feb. 9, 1965 L. CONT 3,169,248

WEFT CREEL FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jn van/0r.-

LU C I AND CONT ATTORNEYS Feb. 9, 1965 coNT WEFT CREEL FOR LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 8, 1962 Jn vemar:

LUCIANO CONT BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Gfilice 3,169,248 Patented Feb. 9, 1965 3,169,248 WEFT CREEL FOR LGOMS Luciano Cont, Oberwinterthur, Switzerland, assignor to Snlzer Freres, Societe Anonyme, Winterthnr, Switzerland, a company of Switzerland Filed Nov. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 236,368 Claims priority, appiication Switzerland, Nov. 11), 1961, 13,120/61 2 Claims. (Cl. 139122) This invention relates to looms of the kind having a framework (herein termed a creel) for supporting a plurality of weft bobbins which remain outside the shed during weaving, the creel usually being at one side of the loom.

In a known loom of this kind the creel is bolted as a unit to the loom frame; after the bolted connection has been released the entire creel can be removed from the loom.

According to the present invention, in a loom of the kind specified the creel is fastened to the loom frame and comprises two or more sections each of which carries at least two bobbins and which can be individually removed from the loom frame after the release of the fastening means.

When the loom has to be overhauled, the individual sections of the creel can be removed from the loom frame, and since these sections are smaller and of lighter weight than the complete creel they can be deposited with less inconvenience in the passage between the individual looms in the weaving shop. It is also possible, in some cases, to remove only one of the creel sections instead of removing the entire creel, for example if only a part of the loom situated beneath or behind the creel section in question has to be overhauled. The parts of the loom disposed beneath or behind a creel section can thus be reached more rapidly, for example heddle driving mechanism such as a card dobby or a cam mechanism, a shuttle picking unit, thread tensioners, thread brakes, weft thread feeder and pull-back devices co-operating with the shuttles and which, particularly in the case of a multiple colour loom, consist of a large number of parts, and heddle turn-back mechanism for use after weft thread breakage. In many cases it is sufiicient to remove only one section of a two-section creel if the cam of a heddle driving mechanism situated beneath this section of the creel has to be re-adjusted or replaced, or if a roller chain, for example for driving the heddle mechanism, has to be adjusted.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a four-weft loom embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view looking frorn'the left in FIG- URE l, on an enlarged scale; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG- URE 2.

The general view in FIGURE 1 shows only the most important parts of the loom. The loom frame consists essentially of two side frame members 1, 2 and a cross member 3 connecting them together. Between the two side frame members 1, 2 are mounted a cloth beam 5 which carries the cloth 4 shown in chain-dotted lines and a breast beam 6. Three sley brackets 8, 9, 11 are also shown and carry a sley (not shown) together with a reed and a shuttle guide, which latter consists of a plurality of teeth which can penetrate the warp. The brackets 8, 9, 11 are disposed on the cross member 3 and are connected together by a fiat member 7 on which other parts are disposed.

At the top of the side frame member 1 is mounted a picking unit 12, while a shuttle catching unit 13 is disposed at the top of the side frame member 2, the shuttles introducing the weft into the shed. The heddles are denoted by reference 14. On the right of FIGURE 1 is disposed the main loom drive. It consists of an electric motor 15, a V-belt drive 16 and a combined clutch and brake 17.

On the left-hand side of the loom in FIGURE 1, at the bottom, a heddle driving mechanism 18 is disposed, for example a card dobby or a cam mechanism. Above the mechanism 18 is the creel, which in FIGURE 1 has been given the general reference 19, for eight weft bobbins 3148. FIGURES 2 and 3 also show the warp beam 21.

As will be apparent from FIGURES l to 3, the creel 19 consists essentially of four vertical rods 91 to 94, all of which extend down to the floor and are provided with feet 192 to 105. A curved support rail 24 is fastened, for example welded, to the rods 91, 92 and a corresponding support rail 25 is fastened, for example welded, to the rods 93, 94. A number of pieces of felt 30 are glued to the support rails to prevent the weft thread ends from rubbing on the metal rails. Vertical rods 26, 27 are also disposed on the rails 24, 25. Horizontal adjustable supporting arms 28 are fastened to the rods 91, 26, 27, 94, and on these arms are held the weft bobbins 31 to 38.

Each pair of bobbins 31, 32; 33, 34; 35, 36; 37, 38 respectively disposed one above the other in FIGURE 2, has threads of the same colour. Assuming, for example, that the weft threads are being drawn first off the top bobbins, the inner end of the thread of the top bobbin of a pair is connected to the outer end of the thread of the bottom bobbin of the pair so that after the top bobbin has been used up the bottom one comes into operation. Each pair of bobbins is disposed inside a horseshoeshaped shield 41, 42; 43, 44 respectively, which shields preferably are made of transparent plastic material and by means of which the balloon of thread occurring during the unwinding of the four weft threads 45 to 48 shown in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 3, is prevented from touching the adjacent balloons and other parts of the loom. The shields 41 and 42 are fastened to the rods 91, 26, 92, and to the rail 24, while shields 43 and 44 are fastened to the rods 93, 27, 94 and to the rail 25.

The weft threads 45 to 48 are guided by eyes 59 in the shields 41 to 44, and then pass through thread brakes 61, thread tensioners 62 and other fixed eyes 63 to the picking unit 12, from which they are inserted into the shed by the shuttles.

The creel is bolted by bolts 95, 96, 97, 97a to three horizontal struts 98, 99, 101 fastened to the loom frame 1, 2, 3. The creel is made in two sections 64, (FIG URE 3). The section 64 comprises the elements 91, 24, 92, 41, 42 and the bobbins and holders disposed therein While the section 65 comprises the parts 93, 25, 94, 43, 44 and the bobbin and holders disposed therein. After releasing the bolts 95, 97; 96, 97a the creel sections 64, 65 can be individually removed from the loom. After removal of one or both sections of the creel the heddle driving mechanism 18, including the cams thereof (not shown) and the driving roller chains, together with the numerous parts 61 to 63 in front of the picking unit 12, the picking unit itself and the other parts (not shown) of the four-weft thread feeder system, are immediately accessible.

In a modification (not illustrated) the heddle driving mechanism 18 is disposed above the creel 19. In that case, the parts 61 to 63 and the four-weft feeder mechanism are not accessible at all after the two creel sections 64, 65 have been fitted. Hence, the easily removable creel of the present invention affords a big advantage.

In another modification (not illustrated) the loom frame is tilted forwards by providing it with wedge-shaped The creel may also be disposed higher on the 100m,

for example above the, parts 61, 62, 63, 12.

In a further modification, the rods 91 to 94 are provided with wheels, for example small casters, at the bottom instead of with feet 102 to 105; it then being possible for each section 64 or 65 of the creel to be wheeled away on these casters after releasing the bolts 95, 97; 96, 97a respectively. 7

. Finally, the creel may consist of more than two independently removable sections.

It will be understood that the foregoing description relates to a particular embodiment and is therefore merely representative. In order to appreciate fully the spirit and scope of the invention, reference should be made to the appended claims in which:

I claim: 7

1. A loom comprising a frame and a creel attached to said frame, said creel having a plurality of structurally self-contained and self-supported'creel sections, each of said creel sections including plural support members fastened together in fixed relative position, the support members associated with each said creel section including a plurality of vertical support rods and at least one generally horizontal rail interconnecting said support rods,

each said creel section further including at least two bobbins mounted on said support members, said m further comprising removable fastening means for individually securingeach separate creel section to said loom frame, whereby each of said creel sections forms a self-contained integral structural unit and each of said creel sections along with the associated bobbins is individually detachable from and attachable to the loom frame.

2. A loom according to claim 1 wherein each creel section further includes at least one thread shield, said shield being affixed to the support members of that creel section only and constituting part of the self-contained integral structural unit formed by that creel section, each of said creel sections along with its associated bobbins and thread shield being individually detachable from and attachable to the loom frame as a unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,778,284 Swanson Oct. 14, 1930 1,886,638 Burton Nov. 8, 1932 2,209,203 Kahlisch July 23, 1940 2,580,994 Budzyna et al J an. 1, 1952 2,799,295 Juillard et a1 July 16, 1957 3,081,798 Stautfer et a1 Mar. 19, 1963 V FOREIGN PATENTS 334,584 Switzerland a Jan. 31, 1959 

1. A LOOM COMPRISING A FRAME AND A CREEL ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME, SAID CREEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF STRUCTURALLY SELF-CONTAINED AND SELF-SUPPORTED CREEL SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID CREEL SECTIONS INCLUDING PLURAL SUPPORT MEMBERS FASTENED TOGETHER IN FIXED RELATIVE POSITION, THE SUPPORT MEMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SAID CREEL SECTION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL SUPPORT RODS AND AT LEAST ONE GENERALLY HORIZONTAL RAIL INTERCONNECTING SAID SUPPORT RODS, EACH SAID CREEL SECTION FURTHER INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO BOBBINS MOUNTED SAID ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS, SAID LOOM FURTHER COMPRISING REMOVABLE FASTENING MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY SECURING EACH SEPARATE CREEL SECTION TO SAID LOOM FRAME WHEREBY EACH OF SAID CREEL SECTIONS FORMS A SELF-CONTAINED INTEGRAL STRUCTURAL UNIT AND EACH OF SAID CREEL SECTIONS ALONG WITH THE ASSOCIATED BOBBINS IS INDIVIDUALLY DETACHABLE FROM AND ATTACHABLE TO THE LOOM FRAME. 